New Chinese open-source AI platform launched

Megvii Technology Limited has announced the launch of a new open-source artificial intelligence platform for developers, Shanghai Daily learned on Thursday. 

Other firms offering such platforms include tech giants like Google, Amazon, Facebook, Microsoft and Baidu. 

Megvii, an emerging AI algorithm and device developer, is a new player in the open-platform AI arena. 

“We want to open-source some of our innovations, creating a dynamic where other engineers can improve our tools, while we also have further influence on how the code evolves,” said Yin Qi, co-founder, chairman and CEO of Megvii.

The new platform is called Brain++. It features a deep-learning framework known as MegEngine or Tianyuan in Chinese, which allows developers to create AI solutions for industrial and commercial application.

Founded in 2014, Megvii has business operations mainly in computer vision. It’s regarded as one of the most promising AI startups in China, along with firms like SenseTime and Yitu. 

The codes for MegEngine are already available online, while a Beta launch is slated for June, followed by an official launch expected in September. Megvii will introduce an enterprise version to offer support, performance and managed AI services for a fee to corporate clients, according to the company.

Chinese developers make up an “increasingly large proportion” of the global open-source developer community, said Megvii co-founder and CTO Tang Wenbin, which is one of the reasons why the company decided to offer its platform with an open source.